Please note: In order to keep Hive up to date and provide users with the best features, we are no longer able to fully support Internet Explorer. The site is still available to you, however some sections of the site may appear broken. We would encourage you to move to a more modern browser like Firefox, Edge or Chrome in order to experience the site fully.

Supporting your high street Find out how »
Piano Forte : Stories and Soundscapes from Colonial New Zealand, Paperback / softback Book

Piano Forte : Stories and Soundscapes from Colonial New Zealand Paperback / softback

Paperback / softback

Item not Available

Description

Piano Forte focuses on the era in which the piano became of central significance in the private, social and cultural lives of many New Zealanders.

It is a book composed of many voices, being based on memoirs, diaries, letters, concert programs, company records and other accounts.

The stories begin in 1827, with the arrival of what was probably the first piano to be brought to New Zealand, and end in 1930, when the increasing popularity of the phonograph, the radio and the introduction of talkie movies were beginning to have a profound impact on people's leisure activities.

Initially, the piano was a stranger in this land, a European musical instrument that introduced Maori to a new sound world and which provided European settlers with a reassuring sense of "home." For both, it offered opportunities for social and cultural activities, and, as time went by, a possible career.

By the end of the period, the piano, too, had thoroughly settled in, no longer a stranger but a loved, essential part of New Zealand society.

A selection of historical sketches, paintings and photographs of the piano in many contexts is included as a visual essay on piano soundscapes.

Information

Save 15%

£19.95

£16.95

Item not Available
Item not Available
Sign in to add to wishlist
 
Free Home Delivery

on all orders

 
Pick up orders

from local bookshops

Information